District 9 candidate: ‘I am not a racist’

On Wednesday, the Express-News published a profile on the three-way race for the District 9 seat on City Council. Candidate Weston Martinez took issue with a portion of the story and issued a press release in which he “addresses San Antonio Express News Allegations.”

Elisa Chan and William Davidson are also running for the seat.

At issue is a portion of this story that said: “In interviews, Martinez mentioned Chan’s English-speaking ability, and Davidson called her by her full name — Wan-Yu Elisa Chan.”

Martinez said that portion of the story was a “gross mischaracterization” of who he is.

“I want to talk about the dedication to my positions and I want to talk about my dedication to this position because, you know, I am not a racist,” he said Wednesday. “I teach my children not to be racist. I teach them that everybody is equal and that they should not treat anybody any differently than anyone else.”

In the story, Chan, who was born in Taiwan, said she believed there were racial undertones in the campaign but dismissed the issue.

Martinez acknowledged saying in an interview that when Chan gets excited, it’s difficult to understand what she’s saying. But after the story ran, he said the same thing happens to him. He denied that his comment had anything to do with race.

“When I get excited, I start rambling as well, and it’s hard to understand me,” he said. “So that has nothing to do with English.”

In the release responding to the story, Martinez says his ancestry includes a grandfather of German descent and a grandmother who was native to San Antonio.

“Given my Mexican American heritage and background, it would be an unconscionable act for me, as the newspaper stated, to make comments about one of my opponent’s heritage,” he wrote in the press release. “My campaign is focused on the issues: infrastructure, transportation and emergency services. This is the meat and bones of my campaign.”

Martinez told the Express-News that he doesn’t promote discriminatory practices.

“I’ve been discriminated against. I know what it is — believe me. I’ve got uncles and family members; I’ve got a family member that was told they couldn’t go swimming in a swimming pool here in South Texas because they would get the water dirty, as a 5-year-old child. So when we talk about discrimination, I’ve experienced it first-hand.”

The Express-News stands by its reporting but wanted to give Martinez a chance to explain his position.